The Ill State Basketball Schedule is Here!

The Ill State Basketball Schedule is Here! The long-awaited basketball schedule has finally been released, and Illini fans everywhere are rejoicing. The first game is set for November 6th against North Carolina and the highly anticipated matchup against Duke is set for December 8th. Get your tickets now and be there to support your team as they take on some of the best competition in the country!

A Quick Overview of the Schedule

The highly-anticipated college Basketball season is almost upon us, and Illinois’ schedule has been released. Here’s a quick overview of what to expect:

The season begins on November 5th with a game against North Carolina A&T. The Illini will then have a string of home games against the likes of Bradley, Eastern Illinois Grand Canyon and North Carolina Central.

After that, things get tough. Illinois will take on ranked opponents in Xavier, Maryland, and Ohio State on the road before returning home to face Rutgers. Then, it’s off to Penn State before finishing up the month of December with a game against Nebraska.

The Conference Schedule begins on January 3rd when the Illini travel to Evanston to take on Northwestern. From there, Illinois will have key games against Purdue, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana (twice), and Michigan (twice).

The season ends on March 9th with a game against Michigan State at home.

So there you have it! Be sure to mark your calendars and catch all the action this college basketball season!

A Breakdown of the Schedule

The first section of the schedule features four games against in-state rivals. The Illini will take on Northwestern at home on December 4th before traveling to Champaign to take on the Fighting Illini on December 7th. The team will then travel to Peoria to take on Bradley on December 10th before returning home to host Loyola on December 14th.

The Team’s Outlook for the Season

The 2019-2020 Illinois basketball schedule has been announced and the team is looking to build on their success from last year. The team will once again compete in the Big Ten Conference and are looking to make a run at the NCAA tournament Head Coach Brad Underwood will have a young but experienced team that will look to make noise in the conference.

The non-conference portion of the schedule is headlined by a game against Gonzaga in Chicago. The team will also take on North Carolina Xavier, and Notre Dame The conference schedule is always tough, but some key games include home games against Michigan State Maryland, and Purdue. The team will also travel to Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

The Illini are looking to improve on their 22-13 record from last season and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. With a tough schedule ahead, it will be a challenge for the team but one that they are excited for.

Game-by-Game Predictions

The highly-anticipated Illinois Basketball Schedule has finally been released and we have your game-by-game predictions here!

The Illini are set to take on some tough competition this season, but we think they have what it takes to make a run at the NCAA tournament

Here is a game-by-game breakdown of what to expect this season:

Nov. 6 vs. North Carolina A&T – Win
This will be Illinois’ first game of the season and they should have no problem winning. A&T is not a very good team and the Illini should be able to win easily.

Nov. 10 vs. Sacred Heart – Win
This will be another easy win for Illinois. Sacred Heart is not a strong opponent and the Illini should win by double digits.

Nov. 13 vs. UIC – Win
UIC is not a very good team and Illinois should be able to win comfortably in this one. Expect the Illini to win by at least 15 points.

Nov 30 vs Temple – Win
Temple is a solid team, but we think Illinois will be able to take care of business at home in this one. The Illini have more talent than Temple and should win by eight or nine points.

Keys to Success

The much-anticipated Illinois State men’s Basketball Schedule was recently released, and there are a few key things to look for if the Redbirds want to make a run at the Missouri Valley Conference title.

One of the first things to note is that eight of Illinois State’s first 10 games will be played at home in Normal. That’s a big advantage for a team that went 14-2 at home last season, and it will be critical for the Redbirds to take advantage of that early home stretch.

Another thing to keep an eye on is the schedule itself. While it’s always difficult to play well in conference play the Redbirds do have some favorable matchups this season. They open up conference play with two home games against two of the bottom-dwellers from last season in Bradley and Missouri State before going on the road for two tough games against Northern Iowa and Loyola.

If Illinois State can take care of business at home and steal a couple of road games, there’s no reason they can’t compete for a conference title this season.

Players to Watch

Here are some of the players that will be hitting the court this season:

--Ayo Dosunmu The freshman guard from Chicago is one of the most highly touted recruits in recent years He’s a gifted scorer with a High Basketball IQ, and he should be an impact player from day one.

-Kendrick Nunn: A transfer from Illinois State, Nunn will be eligible to play immediately and is expected to be a major contributor. He’s a versatile scorer who can get buckets in a variety of ways.

-Leron Black: Black missed most of last season with a Knee Injury but he’s healthy now and ready to make an impact. He’s a physical presence in the paint who can score, rebound, and block shots

X-Factors

The official Ill State basketball schedule is here, and there are a few x-factors that may play into how the season shakes out. Let’s take a look.

As we all know, Coach Groce is entering his 5th season at the helm of the Illini. His best season came in his 2nd year when the Illini went 20-15 and made it to the NCAA tournament After missing the tournament in year 3, he led the Illini back to the Big Dance last year with a 21-13 record. But they were sent home early after losing to Wichita State in the Round of 64.

This year, there are a few x-factors that may play into how the season shakes out:

1) The return of Kendrick Nunn – Nunn missed all of last season with a torn ACL, but he is expected to be fully healthy for this season. He was one of Coach Groce’s top recruits and was expected to make an immediate impact as a freshman before he got hurt. His return will give the Illini another scoring option and should help them on the defensive end as well.

2) The development of Leron Black – Black showed glimpses of his potential last season as a freshman, but he was still learning how to play at the college level. He has worked hard this off-season and bulked up to 250 pounds. If he can continue to develop his game, he could be a very good player for the Illini this year.

3) The leadership of Malcolm Hill – Hill is coming off a very good junior season in which he averaged 16 points per game while also being named All-Big Ten honorable mention. He will be looked to as the leader of this team this year and will need to have another big season if the Illini want to make some noise in conference play.

Bold Predictions

There is a lot of hype around the team this year, and rightfully so. They returns alot of starters from last year’s team and they have some very talented newcomers. Here are my predictions for how the season will go.

Conclusion

The 2017-2018 season for the Illinois State men’s basketball team is now complete. Here is a look at how the team did:

Record: 28-6 (16-2 in conference)

Postseason: Won Missouri Valley Conference regular season lost in MVC Tournament semifinals

NCAA Tournament: entered as a No. 12 seed, lost in Round of 64 to fifth-seeded Florida State

The team started off the season extremely well, winning their first 16 games. This included wins over then-ranked No. 11 Wichita State and No. 25 Notre Dame The Illini then hit a rough patch, losing four of their next five games. However, they managed to regroup and win 12 of their last 14 games, culminating in a regular season conference title

Overall, it was a successful season for the Illini. They will look to build on this success in the 2018-2019 campaign!

The Ill State Basketball Schedule is Here!